Boys basketball: Klein, Westfield try to get leg up

GAME OF THE WEEKMustangs out for revenge, advantage

L. SCOTT HAINLINE, CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

Published
6:30 am CST, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Westfield needs to win a little more than Klein as far as the 13-5A boys basketball playoff race goes, and Westfield is also out to avenge a 48-32 loss at Klein during the first round of district play.

But even though Klein is in a better postseason position in a race that's coming down to the final league games, don't think the Bearkats are going to let up, and by sweeping the Mustangs, they might go into the regular-season finale with a playoff berth in hand.

Dekaney and Klein Forest have clinched the top two spots in 13-5A and will advance no matter what happens the rest of the way, and that leaves Klein, Westfield and Spring battling it out for the last two spots.

TEAM HIGHLIGHTS

• Klein: With three games to go, the Bearkats had a one-game lead over Westfield and Spring, so it doesn't take a genius to calculate how important this contest is, as well as Klein's regular-season finale against Spring next week ... Host Klein handled Westfield 48-32 in the teams' first meeting on Jan. 18 with Szymanski scoring 16 and Rowe 15. The Bearkats trailed 11-7 after one quarter, but then outscored Westfield the rest of the way by margins of 15-7 in the second period, 13-6 in the third and 13-8 in the fourth ... Klein held off Tomball 68-66 in overtime and fell to first-place Dekaney 84-59 last week. • Loving scored 15, Shockley 13, Szymanski and Gerhart had 12 apiece, and Rowe finished with 10 against Tomball, and Rowe had 15 points, Szymanski 12, and Loving and Baxter 10 each against Dekaney • ... The Bearkats wrap up district by hosting Spring at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15.

• Westfield: The Mustangs came into this week tied for fourth place with Spring, and a game behind Klein, so a loss to the Bearkats could be quite harmful to Westfield's postseason plans ... In the first-round loss to Klein, the Mustangs managed only 32 points with Beal the only Westfield player to score in double figures with 10 ... Westfield outlasted Klein Collins 59-56 and dropped a key contest to Spring 53-48 last week • . Harrison scored 17 and Lewis had 13 against Klein Collins, and Iwundu led with 17 points and Harrison finished with 14 against Spring • ... Westfield closes the regular season 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, at Tomball with hopefully a playoff berth still in the mix. Westfield lost 48-40 in the first round.